Monday, April 21, 2008

People who have read more than a single Terry Pratchett novel are not just readers; they are fans. That’s just how it works with this author. And Pratchett fans are more than just fans. They’re passionate fans, prepared to discuss the minutiae of the “Multiverse” Pratchett created with barely any provocation.

A Pratchett quote on the very first page of Secrets of the Wee-Free Men and Discworld: The Myths and Legends of Terry Pratchett’s Multiverse (St. Martin’s Griffin), explains part of the fascination. “You’d have to be a very strange person to get all of the jokes. But I hope you’ll get between 80 and 90 percent, and the ones you don’t get, you won’t actually notice are there!” These joke-getting readers, then, are the ones that will not only want this unauthorized companion, they probably won’t rest until it’s in their hands.

Meanwhile Pratchett, who was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s earlier this year, recently announced he was donating half a million pounds -- about one million dollars -- to be used for Alzheimer’s research. A grassroots fund raising program has been surging through the author’s fanbase. You can read more about that here.

Over the years, January has interviewed the Discworld creator on a couple of occasions. You can see those interviews here and here.